Timeline: a brief history of the Boy Scouts of America

A statue of a Boy Scout stands in front of the National Scouting Museum, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, in Irving, Texas. The Boy Scouts of America announced it is considering a change to its policy of excluding gays as leaders and youth members.

1907 – Scouting movement founded in England by British General Robert Baden-Powell.

1913 – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints adopts Scouting as the activity arm of its Mutual Improvement Association for young men, becoming the first religious group to sponsor Scouting as part of its ministry.

1916 – Boy Scouts of America receives a Congressional charter until Title 36 of the United States Code.

1918 – Rotary International becomes the first service club to sponsor Boy Scout troops.

1920 – The BSA sends Scouts to the first World Scout Jamboree in England.

1926 – The fist Silver Buffalo awards are presented for distinguished service to youth. Baden-Powell and Boyce are among the first recipients.

1969 – Eagle Scout Neil Armstrong radios greetings from outer space to Scouts attending a National Jamboree on his way to become the first man to walk on the moon.

1984 – BSA adopts Varsity Scouting for boys 14-16.

1998 – BSA Exploring splits into two programs: Learning for Life and Venturing.

2000 – In “Boy Scouts of America v. Dale,” the Supreme Court of the United States rules that BSA and other private organizations have the right to set membership standards, including exclusions of gay Scouts and Scouters.

2002 – The National Scouting Museum opens in Irving, Texas.

2012 – An 11-person committee reaches “unanimous consensus” that continuing to exclude homosexuals from Scouting was in the best interest of Scouting.

Feb. 6, 2013 – The BSA National Executive Board delays its decision on whether or not to rescind the policy banning gay Scouts and Scouters until May.